About the Australian Border ForceThe Australian Border Force (ABF) is an operational independent body within the Department of Home Affairs. Australia's international border is a strategic national asset. The ABF supports national security by securing the border, which underpins the ABF's ability to support national prosperity by facilitating legitimate trade and travel.
The ABF's responsibilities include managing and facilitating the movement of people and goods across the border, undertaking maritime surveillance and response operations, collecting border-related revenue, undertaking investigations, ensuring regulatory compliance, managing on-shore detention and the conduct of enforcement and compliance related field operations. The ABF works with partner agencies and industry across international supply chains and traveller pathways.
Our mission is to protect Australia's border and enable legitimate travel and trade.
Our vision is to be a global leader in border law enforcement and trusted partner that helps build a safe, secure and prosperous Australia.
The ABF's ability to deliver outcomes relies on five key functions that sit at the ABF's core:
Facilitation and industry engagement - Projected increases in trade and traveller volumes will place significant pressure on the ABF to keep pace with an increasingly intricate and complex international trade environment and to streamline traveller facilitation. Effective industry engagement and partnerships are critical.Screening and intervention - As part of the ABF's responsibilities under the Customs Act 1901 and the Migration Act 1958, the ABF adopts an intelligence-risk targeting model to select goods, mail and individuals for screening and intervention at the border, without compromising the facilitation of legitimate trade and travel.Compliance and enforcement - The ABF's compliance and enforcement teams focus on threats and risks within Australia's migration program, traveller pathways and international system of trade. The ABF operates primarily under provisions within the Customs Act, Migration Act and other border related laws.Immigration detention - The ABF is responsible for ensuring lawful, safe and secure immigration detention. Facilities are located at Villawood (NSW), Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Yongah Hill (WA) and North West Point (Christmas Island). Contracted services include health, garrison, security, facilities management, transport and escort, and welfare and engagement.Civil maritime security - Maritime Border Command is an operational command and Joint Agency Taskforce within the ABF. It is commanded by a Royal Australian Navy Rear Admiral reporting to a Deputy Commissioner of the ABF. ABF capability is delivered through a fleet of ocean-going vessels, highly modified fixed wing surveillance aircraft, rotary-wing aircraft and a littoral fleet of small vessels.The ABF is multi-faceted in that it is a uniformed law enforcement agency and is Australia's Customs service with policy and regulatory responsibilities. As such it must have the full trust and confidence of its stakeholders and partners. The ABF must exercise legislative power judiciously, with integrity, proportionately and act within the law; being meticulous in relation to administrative compliance and at the same time demonstrating the ability to innovate and act with agility.
Context of the RoleWhile the purpose of the ABF has not changed since its establishment in 2015, the priorities and focus are sharpening around national safety and security, economic recovery, strengthened industry relationships, nationally consistent service solutions, and reliable and responsible delivery. The international environment is constantly changing and with it, the threat profile including an increased volume of activity. The ABF must evolve and adapt, exercise agility, innovation and collaboration, as a basis for effective and sustained impact and future relevance.
Pivotal to realising these opportunities is the strengthened connection of decision-making and delivery within the ABF workforce, in collaboration with industry. The maturing of deep, genuine relationships is foundational to more streamlined ways of working, to informed decision-making that assesses impact, and to enhanced outcomes that enable industry.
Within this strategic context, the ABF's operating model creates a closer connection between strategic and operational decision making, stakeholder engagement and the delivery of operational outcomes. Enhanced collaboration across functional and regional responsibilities requires leaders to operate as part of an integrated team across all ABF business areas, rather than traditional single lines of accountability and control.
Assistant Commissioners work as a team in designing and executing program strategy, governance and operational policy, and operationalizing strategy through consistent delivery across the country, while also accommodating local nuances.
Core CapabilitiesAs an Assistant Commissioner at the SES Band 2 classification you must leverage your demonstrated experience to provide strategic leadership for enterprise wide solutions, including the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of programs, operations and initiatives. SES in the ABF drive a range of activities and initiatives, with a requirement to strategically balance resources in order to optimise both the efficiency and effectiveness of activities and functions under their direct control, as well as collectively across the organisation.
An Assistant Commissioner within the ABF must be highly capable of providing leadership at both the organisational and whole of APS level. SES must be accountable for demonstrating behaviours and actions that model and promote the APS Values and Code of Conduct, including through their representation of the APS and government externally to stakeholders.
Assistant Commissioners are members of the senior leadership team and play an integral role in delivering the key outcomes and priorities for the ABF. SES Band 2 employees will be accountable for consistently demonstrating collaborative behaviours and a positive approach in order to provide intellectual leadership and faithfully translating the organisation's strategic agenda in their work area and more broadly.
You will be a highly capable leader, with strong integrity, who has demonstrated their ability to manage and identify complex operational and strategic risks and lead in a dynamic multi-agency environment. You will inspire and lead our high performing organisation to deliver strategic programs and build long-term capability. Excellent interpersonal, communication and negotiation skills, as well as experience in senior representational settings, both domestic and international, are expected from this role.
To perform the role effectively, you should demonstrate the capabilities, skills and knowledge, and adhere to all relevant aspects described by:
Work Level StandardsILS - A guide to the Integrated Leadership SystemAPS Legislative RequirementsAPS Values and Code of ConductThe key duties of the position include:Assistant Commissioners are responsible for ensuring the success of the ABF's operating model and for the stewardship of specified ABF capabilities at a national level. The scope and nature of the ABF's operational activities, the demands placed on our organisation, our constrained resource base and legislative responsibilities require that governance, risk and assurance is well understood and managed at the Assistant Commissioner level. Building and maintaining a positive risk culture, within regional and national commands, is the responsibility of each Assistant Commissioner including in relation to workplace health and safety. Moreover, maintaining a deep appreciation of and addressing the challenges faced by the workforce is essential, as is the ability to lead by example, model our signature values and create a positive working environment for everyone.
Assistant Commissioners must ensure that within their commands the ABF exercises legislative powers judiciously, with integrity, proportionately and that our actions are always lawful; therefore being meticulous in relation to operational oversight, administrative compliance, assurance and risk.
Managing increasing volumes of people and goods that cross our border, within our limited resource base, places an onus on Assistant Commissioners to work well as a team and to faithfully represent and implement ABF's national priorities and strategy through formal governance processes. Equally, strengthening our ability to innovate, acting with agility, finding efficiencies, driving performance and demonstrably valuing diversity are important elements of this challenge.
Assistant Commissioners must consistently demonstrate collaborative behaviours in working with each other, irrespective of functional or regional command responsibilities, and with other ABF colleagues, external partners and stakeholders. Our Assistant Commissioners also help to build strong domestic and international relationships with industry, across government and the Department. It will be important in the coming years to develop the ABF's capabilities, in order to continue operating effectively.
As an Assistant Commissioner (SES Band 2) in the ABF, you will be accountable for:
Ensuring operational delivery against the ABF's priorities and functions and/or driving policy, enabling and coordination outcomes to support operational delivery.Driving and demonstrating the highest standards of performance, behaviour, integrity, leadership and collaboration; across the ABF at all levels.Driving high standards of governance, assurance, risk management, workplace safety and operational planning, and fully participating in ABF and Department governance processes.Improving communication and engagement with our workforce to de-centralise and empower operational decision making, improve employee well-being and drive change.Ensuring that the ABF is supported by (both strategic and operational) and performance frameworks, and data analysis that are necessary for operational effectiveness.Enhancing relationships and coordination with industry partners and government agencies at the state and federal level, including international partners and organisations.EligibilityThe successful candidate must:
be an Australian Citizenobtain and maintain an AGSVA security clearance at a minimum of Negative Vetting 2obtain and maintain an Employment Suitability Clearancesuccessfully meet and maintain all fitness requirements as set out in ABF policies and procedures as established from time to time by the ABF Commissionerrelevant tertiary qualifications are highly desirable.NotesThe department does currently offer flexible work opportunities for many roles. This vacancy is Sydney based, however, other locations will also be considered and offers flexible working options. Remote work may also be considered. Please reach out to the contact officer to discuss this further.
This advertisement will be used to fill a current vacancy and to create a merit list for future vacancies arising over the next 18 months.
How to ApplyPlease email to request a copy of the Application Form, Privacy Notice and Candidate Pack.
As part of your application, you will need to provide:
A completed application formA resume that outlines your career history, qualifications and achievements1,000 words outlining your background, skills and experience and how they relate to the requirements of the role Details of two referees.All application requirements are to be emailed to by no later than 11:59 PM AEST Thursday, 8 May 2025.
RecruitAbility applies to this vacancy. Under the RecruitAbility scheme you will be invited to participate in further assessment activity for the vacancy if you choose to apply under the scheme; declare you have a disability; and meet the minimum requirements for the job.
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